The return type of Typescript generics

Exploring TypeScript for the first time and grappling with the concept of generics. I'm puzzled as to why this code snippet isn't working:

function identity<T>(arg: T): T {
    let num: number = 2;
    return num;
}

let output = identity<number>(1);

Encountering the error: Type 'number' is not assignable to type 'T'. Shouldn't specifying the input as a number also infer that the return type should be compatible, since we've defined T as number?

Answer №1

When working with type T, it is important to treat it like any other existing type. Your function specifies that it expects an argument of type T and will return something of type T.

However, your code consistently returns a number, which may not necessarily be the same as T. For example, even if you call it with identity<string>("test") anticipating a string output, it would still end up being a number. This leads to a conflict in expectations.

Answer №2

Exploring the type signature of your identity function.

function identity<T>(arg: T)

Essentially, this function accepts an argument of type T (which is unspecified beforehand and can be anything), then returns a value of type T.

Since there is no specific information about T, the only way for the function to return a value of that type is by simply returning the provided argument. In simpler terms, there is just one possible implementation of the identity function - it returns its input.

function identity<T>(arg: T) { return arg }

The error message states:

Type 'number' is not assignable to type 'T'
, because well, T is meant to be generic :)

Answer №3

Here is a brief narrative for you to ponder upon:

function identity<T>(arg: T): T {
    let value: T = arg;
    return value;
}

let result = identity<number>(1)


console.log(result);

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